'Godzilla' Eyes Henry Cavill, Scott McNairy and Caleb Landry Jones as Its Lead

January 08, 2013 02:40:45 GMT

The Gareth Edwards-directed remake project previously set its eyes on Joseph Gordon-Levitt, but the 'Looper' actor decided to pass it.

Gareth Edwards' "Godzilla" reboot project seems to have begun its search for the lead actor. Words have run rampant that at least three actors are currently circling the lead role in the remake movie about the iconic gigantic monster that wreaks havoc in the city.

The Hollywood Reporter's Heat Vision first broke the news that Joseph Gordon-Levitt was eyed for the part, but he passed it. Adding fuel to the report, Variety's Justin Kroll took to his Twitter to share that Henry Cavill, Scott McNairy and Caleb Landry Jones are the ones poised for the role now.

"I've heard that other names being considered include Henry Cavill, Scott McNairy and Caleb Landry Jones," Kroll wrote. Noting that no formal offer has been made yet, he added that "JGL and Cavill are studio choices, Scoot and Caleb are creative choices."

Earlier on Monday, January 6, Deadline reported that the "Godzilla" project had just hired former "The Walking Dead" showrunner Frank Darabont to do the final rewrite of the script. The first drafts were penned by Max Borenstein before being rewritten again by "Iron Man 3" scribe Drew Pearce.

Just yesterday, HitFix broke the news that the Toho monster project had just lost its producers, Dan Lin and Roy Lee. Despite the departure of the two prominent producers, it was rumored that Warner Bros. Pictures already eyed a March start date for the movie, which is expected to open Stateside on May 16, 2014.

"Godzilla" has been generating positive early buzz from fans since it was teased at last year's San Diego Comic-Con. At that time, Legendary introduced a surprisingly polished footage of the film which soon gained enthusiasm from Godzilla fans. "We're going to take it seriously. If this really happened, what would it be like? It's very grounded [and] realistic," director Edwards gushed after unveiling the footage.

Not only did it receive a warm welcome at Comic-Con, but the "Godzilla" reboot was also praised by Dean Devlin, who wrote and produced the 1998 big-budgeted take on the Japanese monster tale. "I know I screwed up my Godzilla," he once told Entertainment Weekly. "I'd be very happy if they pull it off and do a great one."